The Second Battle of Ypres
April - May 1915
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Module objective: Guided by both research and inquiry-based questions, students will explore the second battle of Ypres through the use of primary source evidence and by taking historical perspectives.
Intended audience: Grades 10-12 Primary HTC addressed: The Ethical Dimension Secondary HTCs addressed: Primary Source Evidence; Historical Perspectives |
Interested in combining the Lest We Forget project with some activities from this module? Here are links to the service files of two soldiers whose individual stories connect with this module’s topic:
Private Otho Crain Private Harry John Bacon |
Problem overview
In 1899 and 1907 the world’s major powers signed the Hague Conventions, which along with the 1864 Geneva Convention, marked important steps in the establishment of international laws governing and limiting warfare. A key element of the Hague Conventions was ban on the use of weapons to spread asphyxiating and poisonous gas. Germany, the United Kingdom, and France were all among the signatories.
However, in late April 1915, the German Army launched a major attack on the Western Front using chlorine gas as a weapon. The attack was part of a renewed offensive against British, French and Belgian troops defending the last corner of Belgian territory not yet conquered by Germany. Days before, 1st Canadian Division took over a section of the Ypres front between French and British forces. The chlorine gas killed thousands of French, British, and Canadian soldiers by clogging the lungs and suffocating those who inhaled it. Germany was condemned around the world for using poisonous gas as a weapon in violation of the Hague Convention. The Germans argued that French troops used poison gas first.
The April 1915 gas attack fell first on French and French Colonial troops beside the Canadians and two days later directly on the Canadians. In consequence, French and Canadian survivors fought desperately to stop the German attack to hold Ypres and protect what was left of Belgium. Given that Germany’s 1914 violation of Belgian neutrality was a principal reason for Great Britain and her Dominions to enter the war, the mission of defending Belgium’s last corner was considered vital.
Subsequently the Germans developed even more deadly and sophisticated chemical weapons. In response the Allied forces, including Canada, first developed gas warfare defences and later used poisonous gas weapons against German forces.
Two weeks after the Ypres gas attacks, on 7 May 1915, German Navy U-Boat U-20 torpedoed and sank the Cunard passenger ship RMS Lusitania without warning off the Irish coast, killing 1,200 passengers and crew. The event marked the beginning of a controversial new era of naval warfare and further stirred international public opinion against Germany, including the in the United States. German authorities justified action claiming that Lusitania was armed and carried banned cargo in addition to civilian passengers. Taken together, German gas and torpedo attacks in 1915 added weight to arguments in support of the Canadian war effort back home.
However, in late April 1915, the German Army launched a major attack on the Western Front using chlorine gas as a weapon. The attack was part of a renewed offensive against British, French and Belgian troops defending the last corner of Belgian territory not yet conquered by Germany. Days before, 1st Canadian Division took over a section of the Ypres front between French and British forces. The chlorine gas killed thousands of French, British, and Canadian soldiers by clogging the lungs and suffocating those who inhaled it. Germany was condemned around the world for using poisonous gas as a weapon in violation of the Hague Convention. The Germans argued that French troops used poison gas first.
The April 1915 gas attack fell first on French and French Colonial troops beside the Canadians and two days later directly on the Canadians. In consequence, French and Canadian survivors fought desperately to stop the German attack to hold Ypres and protect what was left of Belgium. Given that Germany’s 1914 violation of Belgian neutrality was a principal reason for Great Britain and her Dominions to enter the war, the mission of defending Belgium’s last corner was considered vital.
Subsequently the Germans developed even more deadly and sophisticated chemical weapons. In response the Allied forces, including Canada, first developed gas warfare defences and later used poisonous gas weapons against German forces.
Two weeks after the Ypres gas attacks, on 7 May 1915, German Navy U-Boat U-20 torpedoed and sank the Cunard passenger ship RMS Lusitania without warning off the Irish coast, killing 1,200 passengers and crew. The event marked the beginning of a controversial new era of naval warfare and further stirred international public opinion against Germany, including the in the United States. German authorities justified action claiming that Lusitania was armed and carried banned cargo in addition to civilian passengers. Taken together, German gas and torpedo attacks in 1915 added weight to arguments in support of the Canadian war effort back home.
Problem background
Where, Who and Why?
Between April 22 and May 24 the Germans launched a series of attacks against Allied troops in the Ypres Salient in the Belgian region of Flanders. The 1st Canadian Division was in the forefront of much of the early action. On April 22, the Germans launched a major attack against the French to the northwest of the Canadians using chlorine gas or the first time on the Western Front. Surviving French troops retreated to the Canadian zone to help hold the line, but the gas effect tore a six kilometer gap in the Allied front, exposing the left of the Canadian line and forcing them to re-deploy their troops to protect the gap. Over the next day and a half the Canadians, British and French reinforced the line and counter-attacked to temporarily stop the German advance. On April 24, a second German gas attack struck the Canadian front, causing terrible casualties and forcing them to fall back. Many Canadians were cut off and forced to surrender when they were wounded or ran out of ammunition. The next day Canadian counter-attacks again halted the German attack and helped to prevent a breakthrough, although at a high cost in lives.
On April 26, Canadian infantry battalions were relieved and withdrawn from the battle to rest and rebuild, although their artillery batteries continued to fight on until early May. Another battalion raised in Canada but fighting with the British, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, also saw heavy action in early May at the battle of Frezenberg. By the end of the battle the British Army had lost some 60,000 casualties.
Explaining the Canadian success at Ypres has become the source of some controversy. Early on, writers like Sir Max Aitken portrayed them as being relatively poorly trained and disciplined but they succeeded in the face of imposing odds thanks to courage and grit rather than skill. More recent authors, including Andrew Iarocci, argue that the Canadians were much better prepared for battle and they used their training and earlier experience to effectively beat off the German attackers with firepower, good morale, and positive leadership.
During the battle four Canadians received the Victoria Cross for heroic service including Lance Corporal Frederick Fisher, Lieutenant Edward Bellew, Company Sergeant Major Frederick Hall, and Captain Francis Scrimger.
The battle became important to Canadians for several reasons. It was the first major battle for the Canadian Division. Up until then they’d been involved mainly in routine trench warfare. Second, the terrible losses suffered by the Canadians brought home to the country the grim realities of this war. They had 6,000 casualties, including more than 2,000 killed, out of a frontline strength of about 10,000 men in five days. This would be the worst battle of the war for the 1st Division. It did, however, establish a reputation for the Canadians as tough fighters. They had been attacked by a numerically superior enemy who used chlorine gas against which they had no defence, and they had never broken. And the battle helped to establish a strong esprit de corps among the troops that they never lost.
In 1923, the Canadian government erected a monument on the original battlefield at Vancouver Corner, an important road intersection, to commemorate the Canadian part in the 2nd Battle of Ypres. The famous monument features a Canadian soldier, sometimes called the “Brooding Soldier,” standing vigil with his head bowed and his hands resting on the butt of his reversed rifle. In some communities in Canada the battle was, and in some cases still is, commemorated as St. Julien Day, named after the village in the epi-centre of 1st Canadian Division’s sector. The battle is also associated with Major John McCrae, a Canadian army doctor, who looked after the wounded throughout the battle and shortly afterwards wrote the famous poem, In Flanders Fields, in memory of a close friend who died from wounds suffered during the battle.
Between April 22 and May 24 the Germans launched a series of attacks against Allied troops in the Ypres Salient in the Belgian region of Flanders. The 1st Canadian Division was in the forefront of much of the early action. On April 22, the Germans launched a major attack against the French to the northwest of the Canadians using chlorine gas or the first time on the Western Front. Surviving French troops retreated to the Canadian zone to help hold the line, but the gas effect tore a six kilometer gap in the Allied front, exposing the left of the Canadian line and forcing them to re-deploy their troops to protect the gap. Over the next day and a half the Canadians, British and French reinforced the line and counter-attacked to temporarily stop the German advance. On April 24, a second German gas attack struck the Canadian front, causing terrible casualties and forcing them to fall back. Many Canadians were cut off and forced to surrender when they were wounded or ran out of ammunition. The next day Canadian counter-attacks again halted the German attack and helped to prevent a breakthrough, although at a high cost in lives.
On April 26, Canadian infantry battalions were relieved and withdrawn from the battle to rest and rebuild, although their artillery batteries continued to fight on until early May. Another battalion raised in Canada but fighting with the British, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, also saw heavy action in early May at the battle of Frezenberg. By the end of the battle the British Army had lost some 60,000 casualties.
Explaining the Canadian success at Ypres has become the source of some controversy. Early on, writers like Sir Max Aitken portrayed them as being relatively poorly trained and disciplined but they succeeded in the face of imposing odds thanks to courage and grit rather than skill. More recent authors, including Andrew Iarocci, argue that the Canadians were much better prepared for battle and they used their training and earlier experience to effectively beat off the German attackers with firepower, good morale, and positive leadership.
During the battle four Canadians received the Victoria Cross for heroic service including Lance Corporal Frederick Fisher, Lieutenant Edward Bellew, Company Sergeant Major Frederick Hall, and Captain Francis Scrimger.
The battle became important to Canadians for several reasons. It was the first major battle for the Canadian Division. Up until then they’d been involved mainly in routine trench warfare. Second, the terrible losses suffered by the Canadians brought home to the country the grim realities of this war. They had 6,000 casualties, including more than 2,000 killed, out of a frontline strength of about 10,000 men in five days. This would be the worst battle of the war for the 1st Division. It did, however, establish a reputation for the Canadians as tough fighters. They had been attacked by a numerically superior enemy who used chlorine gas against which they had no defence, and they had never broken. And the battle helped to establish a strong esprit de corps among the troops that they never lost.
In 1923, the Canadian government erected a monument on the original battlefield at Vancouver Corner, an important road intersection, to commemorate the Canadian part in the 2nd Battle of Ypres. The famous monument features a Canadian soldier, sometimes called the “Brooding Soldier,” standing vigil with his head bowed and his hands resting on the butt of his reversed rifle. In some communities in Canada the battle was, and in some cases still is, commemorated as St. Julien Day, named after the village in the epi-centre of 1st Canadian Division’s sector. The battle is also associated with Major John McCrae, a Canadian army doctor, who looked after the wounded throughout the battle and shortly afterwards wrote the famous poem, In Flanders Fields, in memory of a close friend who died from wounds suffered during the battle.
Key questions and debates
The three student activities in this module are designed to address the key questions and debates surrounding the topic, and are framed by the guideposts to historical thinking for each of the historical thinking concepts addressed in the module. Activities are intended to be completed in order. Please click below to see an activity overview, guiding questions, and additional topics/questions the teacher may introduce.
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Students will review sources to present a new-style overview of the events of Germany’s first gas attack in late April, 1915.
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Students will explore the imagery of Germany used in the Canadian recruiting campaigns.
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Students will review the events of April-May 1915 through the sinking of the Lusitania and the second battle of Ypres, and compare criteria for judging the ethical implications of these events.
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Culminating activity/assessment
To demonstrate understanding of the ethical dimension of the second battle of Ypres and its aftermath, students will use the poem In Flanders Fields to consider the effects of the battle and whether Canada’s use of gas was justifiable. Students will write or perform a response to In Flanders Fields to answer the question: How do we take up their quarrel with the foe? What is the best way to respond?
Students demonstrating sophisticated thinking will be able to explain why these past events are important to remember in the present, and will be able to express an understanding that neither Canada nor Germany is exempt from judgement of wrongdoing in the use of gas. Students should also be able to articulate through this module their understanding that while the past does not teach us direct lessons, we can use what we know of the past to judge current issues.
We encourage the use of The Historical Thinking Project resources in addition to Provincial curricular recommendations to assess student thinking in this module.
Students demonstrating sophisticated thinking will be able to explain why these past events are important to remember in the present, and will be able to express an understanding that neither Canada nor Germany is exempt from judgement of wrongdoing in the use of gas. Students should also be able to articulate through this module their understanding that while the past does not teach us direct lessons, we can use what we know of the past to judge current issues.
We encourage the use of The Historical Thinking Project resources in addition to Provincial curricular recommendations to assess student thinking in this module.
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